


In sickness and in health

by manadapanada



Series: Forgiveness [2]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 04:05:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15833394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manadapanada/pseuds/manadapanada
Summary: Robert has a sick son, a sister-in-law pretending to not be sick, a husband away for a few days and an angry client. He’s barely sleeping and when Aaron comes back and they get in an argument he finds himself saying things that he doesn’t really mean.





	In sickness and in health

Robert regrets telling Aaron that he would be fine for a couple days without him. A cousin of Aaron’s was having his bachelor’s party in Dublin and wanted Aaron there. Aaron told Robert over and over that he didn’t have to go, but Robert insisted.

“Only two days, Aaron. I think I’ll manage,” he had said. Aaron had grinned and leaned up to kiss Robert sweetly.

“I’ll make it up to you,” Aaron promised lowly, a mischievous look in his eyes.

Aaron left Friday afternoon, after giving Seb a cuddle, Liv a kiss on the forehead, and Robert a lingering kiss at the door.  
“I’ll be back Sunday evening, but just call if you need me back sooner,” he had murmured.

“Me and the kids’ll get along just fine,” Robert chided. He kissed Aaron one more time, turned him to face the car of relatives waiting for him, and pushed him gently towards it. “Be good. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Aaron replied, as he got in the car.

That was a scarce six hours ago. And since then Seb has been a mess. Robert at first thought he missed Aaron, who cuddled him up at every opportunity, and every time Seb so much a whimpered Aaron was giving him love. But as much as Robert hugged and cuddled his little boy, nothing could calm him down.  


It’s not until Liv walks down the stairs looking green, and Seb throws up his lunch all over the floor that Rob realizes both kids are sick.  


Robert pauses on his way back up the stairs, to change Seb into clean clothes, to press a quick kiss to Liv’s forehead. It’s meant to be quick, at least. He belatedly feels the heat emanating from her forehead and takes a step back.

“Y’alright, trouble?” he asks gently, pressing a hand to her head. She feels warm.

“M’fine,” she murmurs, falling into the couch. 

Rob spares a second to throw a blanket over her before taking Seb upstairs as he originally intended. It takes some time to get Seb to settle. Robert rocks him until his arms are numb, and he’s sure the baby is really asleep, before placing Seb in his crib. He takes a moment to shake and stretch his sore limbs before heading back downstairs to tend to Liv.

She’s still sprawled on the sofa. The television is on but her half-closed eyes give the impression she’s almost asleep and not paying any attention to her show. Robert grabs the television controls and moves to power everything down. 

“I’m turning this off, Liv. You sleep. I’ll bring you something to make you feel better when you wake up,” Robert promises, pushing a stray piece of hair off Liv’s face and making sure she’s securely tucked in, “Love you.”

Liv, half awake, manages to catch Robert’s hand near her shoulder as he’s tucking her in. She squeezes his wrist and murmurs, “Love ya, Rob,” and in minutes starts quietly snuffling in her sleep.

Robert thinks that’s going to be the worst of it. Two kids sick at the same time. He was wrong.

He managed to get Chas to agree to watch the kids while he attended a meeting. He mentioned his sick kids at home, and once he corrected the client that he had a husband, not a wife, he found himself without a contract he was sure he would score. It grates on his nerves.

It’s hard to deal with two sick children on his own. Liv and Seb give him little sleep. Seb demands attention, and Robert is happy to give it (cuddles, kisses, and songs), but it’s exhausting. Keeping a sick little one happy is no easy task. Not to mention that trying to administer the medication, hoping that it will help the vomiting to stop, often leave Seb in tears.

Then there’s Liv. Who claims to be okay, but Robert catches her rubbing tears from her eyes more than once. And when he finally confronts her, she admits to having a terrible earache. So bad it’s making her nauseous.

He takes her to the doctor. It’s a double ear infection.

Baby Seb has a stomach bug, and little Liv has a double ear infection, and Robert is running himself ragged looking after them both. Between Seb’s bouts of tears, and Liv’s medication, Robert finds no time to sleep.

And Robert knows he can be a monster when he’s had no sleep.

So when Aaron comes back, all smiles, happy to see his family, Robert scowls.

“Hello, mate,” Aaron coos, picking up Seb and cuddling him close. He walks over to Liv and throws an arm around her shoulder, “Hey kid. Missed you.”  


“Missed you too,” Liv murmurs, leaning into him.  


Aaron beams, and then moves toward Robert, “Hello, my husband,” he says with a grin. He’s shocked when Robert moves away.

“They’ve both been ill,” Robert says in a monotone, no inflection in his voice.

“What’s wrong?” Aaron asks, still juggling Seb in his arms, with Liv against his side.

Robert takes a deep breath to steady himself, “Seb has a stomach bug, and Liv has a double ear infection. They’ve both been miserable.”

“You should have told me to come home,” Aaron says, shifting Seb in his arms. “Rob, you look exhausted.” 

Robert truly did. Dark circles under his eyes, waxy pallor, and he swayed where he stood. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been fine without you,” he mutters harshly.

Aaron gulps, and hands Seb off to Liv, who moves to stand away from the pair, “Rob, I don’t think you’re okay.”

“M’fine Aaron!” Rob roars, startling everyone, including wee Seb, who Liv immediately starts comforting.

Aaron reacts instantly, “Liv, why don’t you take Seb to see his Aunty Vic, eh? She’ll spoil the both of you rotten,”

“You’re not taking my kid!” Robert bellows. 

Everything is silent for a moment. Until Liv bursts into tears and runs from Mill Cottage, Seb in her arms.

Robert, still deliriously tired, rolls his eyes, “Oh she’s a runner, huh? Just like her brother…wonder if she cuts herself to shreds too?”

Aaron’s horrified gasp of breath sobers Robert instantly. It’s many tense moments before Robert even dares to speak.

“Aaron…”

Aaron refuses to reply right away. He leaves Robert waiting, before simply replying “You’re an asshole,” through clenched teeth.

“I know I am,” Robert admitted, throat thick with tears.

“You know why you made her cry? What you said to make her run off?” Aaron counters.

“I was an asshole,” Robert guesses.

“No, you idiot. It’s cause you said I couldn’t take your kid. Singular. You meant Seb. It sounded like you didn’t give a toss about her. Like she wasn’t yours too.” Aaron near shouted.

Robert gasps in a breath, “No,” he counters, “No, Liv knows I love her like my own. She does,” Robert says desperately.

“You see everyone’s weaknesses so easily and use them…half the time I don’t think you really mean to…but with Liv and with me this time…you knew. And it makes it hurt more…”Aaron says honestly. 

“I’m sorry,” Robert cries. “They’ve both been sick, and I’ve been getting next to no sleep, and I lost a client today and I just lost it. I took it out on you, and I didn’t mean it,”

Aaron is silent for a number of moments. “Last time you used my scars as an insult I told you that you never got to speak to me that way again,” he murmurs softly.

Robert is suddenly slammed with the memory of him in the scrapyard with Aaron. Verbally assaulting him. Making sure Aaron felt as awful as he did. It makes Robert’s stomach churn.

“Aaron, I’m so sorry,” he sobs, as he pitches forward, exhaustion finally catching up with him.

Aaron catches him easily, and maneuvers him onto the couch. “Babe, you’re so tired. I told you to call if you needed me.”

Rob nods, as Aaron throws a blanket over him, “Didn’t want to ruin your fun. Didn’t mean what I said, so sorry,”

Aaron leans down and presses a kiss to Robert’s forehead, “I know. I forgive you,”

It’s then that Liv busts back through the door, Seb still on her hip. Tear tracks are obvious on her face as she says “Forgot his bag, soz. Be outta your hair in a minute,”

“No, Liv, come here,” Robert beckons. Aaron takes the baby from Liv’s arms as she sits next to her brother-in-law, who drapes an arm around her. “Sorry, Liv. You’re as much mine as Seb is, and I never meant to imply otherwise. I love you so much. I’m just beyond tired and it got the better of me.”

Liv leans into Robert and snakes an arm around his back, hugging him tight. “I do know that. I’m tired too and I let my emotions get out of control. Love you too.”

Robert moves to tuck the blanket around them both as Liv settles her head on his shoulder. She’s needed a cuddle as well, he realizes, but he’d focused on Seb because of his age. He’s just realizing the enormity of his mistake, when Liv huffs out a big breath and nestles into him. It really hits Rob then, the amount of love he has for this girl. He’s not known her long, but he loves her. Not only because she’s a part of Aaron, but because she’s Liv. A smart-mouthed honourary Dingle.

And she’s his. His to care for, his to protect.

His Liv.

They both fall asleep, together. When they wake, there will have to be a family chat. There will be tears, and rough words exchanged. But it will end with a cuddle on the sofa, all four of them. (And if Robert spends the next week making up for his actions and words with Liv and Aaron’s favourite take out and praising them to no end, well, no one really has to know about that).


End file.
